LETTER FROM THE SQUADRON - 20
09
Squadron greetings from its new Officer Commanding, Wg Cdr Jamie Hunter - well it’s almost a year since Gary Kelly left RAF Valley, so while I have been around for a while now, this is my first update to the Association. Since Gary departed, there have, in fact, been 2 officers commanding the Squadron, first, Sqn Ldr ‘Badger' Simmonds held the reins for a couple of months while I remembered how to fly again (after 5 years in various staff appointments!), and he begrudgingly handed over the mantle in June 2008 once my own training was complete.
Since that time, the Squadron has been at close to full strength and has output some 37 students into Tactical Weapons training on 19 Sqn, the other Hawk squadron at Valley. Sadly, 3 RAF and 3 RN pilots have not made the grade and are continuing their training elsewhere… Nonetheless, standards remain as high as ever, and the front line is working hard to absorb our output, which remains at around 40 new fast-jet pilots each year.
During the last 12 months there has been considerable change amongst the instructor cadre, with around 50% of the staff changing posts. Furthermore, this instability will continue throughout the year, as many of the most experienced ‘A2’ Qualified Flying Instructors also reach their end-of-tour. Most will be returning to the front line where their talents are clearly in high demand. Nonetheless, the less experienced instructors continue to advance their own qualifications such that the Squadron will be able to continue in its role unabated.
And this is a role that will see some changes during the next few years. As most of you will know, the new Hawk, the TMk2, has started to arrive at RAF Valley, and work has started to evaluate the new syllabus. This ‘glass-cockpit’ trainer will replace 19 Squadron's aircraft and the first student course will start in around 2 years. In the mean time, here on 208 Squadron we will be figuring out how to fill the gap between the Tucano and the Hawk TMk2 with current Hawks, at least until the Tucano is replaced, which is expected to be somewhere between 2015 and 2020. Much to be done...
On the Hawk Display front, Flight Lieutenant `Horse’ Davies completed a very successful season last October, and left in haste to join the Red Arrows (and who could blame him!), but not before being presented with the Geoffrey Bromet Memorial Trophy at the last Association dinner. While it was rumoured that this was to be the final Hawk Display, I am happy to reveal that the Display lives on for yet another season. This year, Flight Lieutenant Matt Barker won a fiercely contested fly-off and he is already settling down to aerobatics at 500 ft, before final accreditation in late April. The 2 aircraft are in the Valley paint-shop as I write, and I'm hoping that one will be ready to be photographed in time for this article, but if not, keep an eye on the Display website www.RAFHawkDisplay.com in the near future. You will notice that this year’s paint scheme commemorates the 90th Anniversary of the RAF Benevolent Fund (see centre spread), which of course, is fitting since our own Association President,
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